Travel reviews by Mr DG from New Hampshire

"We (my wife Nancy and I) enjoyed staying at The Cliff very much, even for just part of two days and one night. The location at the edge of a cliff looking east over Lake Nakuru meant that we had an incredible view of the sun rising over the lake. Our tent was very spacious, the largest one that we had during our 3 weeks in Kenya and Tanzania.

The food at lunch and dinner was excellent - all of the menu options were appealing and our selections were healthy and tasty. I especially appreciated that the menus included fish entrees. The tables were well spaced throughout the dining area. Staff were very professional, friendly, and helpful. The facility had a very spacious, comfortable bar/living area. We also noticed that the lodge had a very nice swimming pool which we did not have time to use.

We came to Lake Nakuru primarily to see the bird life. I had visited the lake more than 20 years earlier on one of my first visits to Kenya for work and remembered being impressed by the number and variety of birds.

While our pre-trip research indicated that ecological changes in the lake had reduced the flamingo population, we were not disappointed. Maruska, our incredibly helpful trip planner at Expert Africa, arranged for us to do an ornithological safari on the second day of our visit. Cliff staff took us onto the lake in a pontoon boat for more than two hours early in the morning. We saw many different types of birds - pelicans, flamingos, cormorants, eagles - many of them very close-up. We even saw hippos swimming in the lake. The guides on the boat, especially Mary, were very knowledgeable about bird life which enriched our experience, as did the breakfast that we ate on the boat.

We also enjoyed the drive from Nairobi to the lake. Our guide chose the scenic route which overlooked the Rift Valley for quite a while, providing us very interesting views.

The game drive that we did on the first afternoon and then again on our way out of the park on our return to Nairobi was a huge bonus. We saw the big five, the only time that we saw all five in one place during our safaris in six different national parks in Kenya and Tanzania. We saw more than nine rhinos. Our guide also drove along the lake front so that we could observe the bird life close to the shore.

Finally, our private guide Peter was excellent. We enjoyed his company very much for a few reasons. First, he was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna in the park and knew where we were most likely to see the land-based wildlife that we were most interested in - lion, leopard, elephant, and rhino.

Second, Peter had wide-ranging interests and was a good conversationalist. During our almost 8-hour round-trip drive from Nairobi and back we had a lively conversation about life in the U.S. and Kenya, the history of the places that we passed along the road, and other topics.

While we enjoyed the drive to Lake Nakuru, it seems important to point out that the traffic on the scenic route was very heavy, resulting in a longer-than-expected travel time to Lake Nakuru. The road is used heavily by large lorries transporting goods from Nairobi toward Uganda. The fact that schools were on vacation that week - we saw many families with children on the road - also may have contributed to the traffic congestion."

"We (my wife and I) stayed at Ngare Sero for one night during our first night in Tanzania. We arrived after dark and left after breakfast so that we did not have time to use all of the facilities. Nonetheless, we greatly enjoyed our limited experience.

We loved the lodge itself and our room. The lodge is an old large farmhouse dating to the colonial era in Tanzania. It is a very interesting building, with lots of old photographs that explain its history.

Our "room" was very spacious, consisting of three rooms - a very large bedroom, a large "living" room, and a very large bathroom. All of the rooms contained antique furniture. Our bedroom opened onto a small veranda with beautiful views of the lush grounds and Mount Meru in the distance. Our floor also contained a very attractive sitting/living room with access to a larger veranda overlooking the grounds.

We were served dinner in a beautiful private dining room (other guests had their own private dining rooms). The food was plentiful and excellent. The service also was excellent.

We were served breakfast outdoors in a patio-like area with excellent views of the ground. The food again was plentiful and excellent. The service again was excellent.

We regretted not having the time to explore the grounds."

"We (my wife and I) arrived at the lodge after spending the day at Lake Manyara. We left in the morning as we wanted to arrive at the Ngorongoro Crater as soon as possible. As a result, our experience at the lodge was somewhat limited. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our stay very much.

Our lodging was the most luxurious of any place that we stayed during our three-week trip. It was a "tented chalet", which felt more like a chalet than a tent. It was very spacious with a large sitting area, large bed, lots of storage space, a spacious bathroom area, a very nice shower, a luxurious bath tub with a view outside, a deck with an incredible view of Lake Manyara and nearby cliffs. It was the only place that we stayed with air conditioning. We felt guilty using it, but it helped us sleep well in the heat.

The common area also was very nice - very spacious with a comfortable living-room type area with a fireplace where we had drinks before dinner and a spacious dining area. The tables were well spaced so that guests were well spread out.

The food selection and quality at both dinner and breakfast were excellent. The food choices also were healthy. The staff were very professional and friendly and the service was attentive.

Our only complaint was that there was a very large party at dinner and a band playing, with people dancing. We realized that this was the holiday season but we still found it distracting."

"Everything about our stay at Entamanu Ngorongoro was fabulous. It was just such a wonderful experience. My wife and I have stayed at many lodges/camps in Kenya and Tanzania (and I have stayed at many in South Africa and Mozambique) and this is one of the best.

The location definitely sets the tone for the whole experience. The camp is located on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater at the end of a long, rough road. As a result, it has an isolated feeling to it. The views over the rim of the crater, with the mountains on the far side of the crater, are spectacular, especially at sunrise. Our tent was sited such that you felt that you were in your private wilderness, with only views over the crater. This feeling of being in your own wilderness was reinforced one morning when a giraffe walked in front of our tent, not more than 20 to 30 meters away from us. How awesome!

The tent itself was spacious, tastefully furnished, and very comfortable. A portable gas heater and hot water bottles placed between the sheets (amazingly, they were still warm in the morning) were very welcome as it became quite chilly at night due to the 7,500 feet elevation of the crater. Even though the Expert Africa web site indicated that the crater rim would be cold at night, we were surprised by how cold we felt, especially because it already was winter when we left home.

The lounge and dining areas also were comfortably furnished - we especially liked the local art displayed throughout - with fireplaces in each room. The lounge/living room was very inviting with comfortable couches, the art on the walls, and the warmth emanating from the fireplace.

The tables in the dining area were comfortably spaced, reflecting the challenges created by Covid. The food was excellent at all of our meals - a selection of very interesting, healthy salads at lunch and a choice of excellent entrees at dinner. I was especially pleased that the chef prepared tasty options - including bread products - to accommodate my need for a gluten-free diet.

Staff throughout the camp - the wait staff at dinner, the people assigned to clean our tent, and the security guards - all went out of their way to make us feel welcome. The manager set the tone by greeting us every morning as we set off on our activity and greeting us when we returned, He also joined us for a few minutes every night as we sat in the lounge with a pre-dinner drink.

Finally, the activities offered in addition to the game drives were excellent. We went on a 12 kilometer round trip walk to the crater rim - accompanied by a Maasai guide and an armed park ranger - which provided an opportunity for exercise and to see the local flora and the view over the crater. An added bonus during the walk was a chance encounter with three Maasai men who were returning a large group of cattle to their village and four giraffes who walked within 60 to 70 meters of us. We also took a 6 kilometer walk one-way (we drove back in a safari vehicle) to a local Maasai village where relatives of the camp's Maasai guide lived. We greatly enjoyed learning about the Maasai culture and their traditions. Their welcoming dance was fun to watch.

The Maasia guide - Kiseka - was especially helpful during both of our walks with him. He brought a walking stick for my wife, who was unaccustomed to walking on uneven terrain, pointed out very interesting facts about many of the plants that we saw, explained aspects of the Maasai culture, and described how he had become a guide. We greatly enjoyed talking with him."

"My wife and I were scheduled to spend four days at Alex Walker's Serian Serengeti South, one of his two mobile camps in the southern area of the Serengeti. We chose the one that was described as the more remote camp, which appealed to us. On the day before we were scheduled to arrive at the camp, we received a call from the Entamanu Ngorongoro camp office relaying a message from Expert Africa, through whom we booked the trip. They indicated that Alex Walker had recommended that we shift to his other mobile camp 50 kilometers northwest - Serian's Serengeti Mobile Kusini - because the wildlife was more plentiful around the Kusini camp. Because of that, he believed that we would have a better overall experience there.

We were initially disappointed by this because we were looking forward to experiencing what it would feel like to be in a very remote area after having spent days in Maasai Mara and the Ngorongoro Crater that, while very enjoyable, could not be described as remote.

Our disappointment at shifting camps was very short-lived. We loved everything about the Kusini camp. It felt very remote to us. It is small camp - only six tents - located at the end of a long grassy road tucked under very large acacia trees. During our four-day stay, we saw only two other safari vehicles during our game drives. Thanks very much to Entamanu Ngorongoro staff for making all of the logistical changes and to Expert Africa's Lyndsey for reassuring us, in Maruska's absence, that we would enjoy the Alex Walker Kusini camp.

We had specifically chosen to stay at one of Alex Walker's two southern mobile camps partly based on Expert Africa's description of the camps on its web site as having "an unfussy bush experience". We wanted to see what this would feel like after staying in camps with more amenities.

We definitely enjoyed the experience very much. Our tent was simply furnished but very comfortable - a comfortable queen size wrought-iron bed, a writing table and chair, and bedside tables with lamps and charging stations for phone and camera batteries. We quickly got used to the lack of running water in the sink - staff provided a large bucket of cold water and a jug of very hot water early each morning. We also enjoyed the bucket showers - we told staff when we wanted to take showers and they poured hot water into a bucket at the back of the tent. We then pulled two levers - one to start the shower, the other to turn it off - attached to a shower head. I like very hot showers and this worked very well. The amount of water was sufficient for two showers as long as we told the staff that both of us wanted to shower. It is amazing how quickly you can do without things that you consider an essential part of everyday life.

The camp's common areas, though also simply furnished, also are very comfortable. The main tent is divided into two sections - a large round dinner table and a lounge or living-room area furnished with comfortable couches and rugs and various guide books on flora and fauna. We also greatly appreciated the lack of wifi and cell phone service for guests. This definitely contributed to a feeling of "getting away from it all".

Two other aspects of the camp are notable. First, the food was excellent at every meal. I need to eat a gluten-free diet and the chef accommodated this without sacrificing the quality or creativity of the food. The meals at lunch and dinner were very creative, well-prepared, and very "tasty". We had very interesting salads or soups, varied entrees, and simple, but interesting desserts. He also baked gluten-free bread, biscuits, or muffins for each meal. The food also was well-served by staff.

We ate "picnic" breakfasts every day during our game drives. These breakfasts also were excellent, with great variety - cereal, fruit, breakfast meats (bacon, sausages), egg frittatas or quiches, muffins, biscuits, or toast (always with gluten-free options) - and with more food than two of us could eat. We were so impressed that the chef could prepare all of this fresh food by the time we left the camp at 6am for our game drives.

Second, all of the staff were extremely friendly, gracious, and eager to respond to any requests that we had. We were the only guests during our stay at the camp, so we had the undivided attention of staff. We had many interesting conversations with the camp manager, who asked us to call him by his nickname "Six".

While the camp as a place to stay was excellent, the game drives and our guide may have been even better. We left for our morning drives every day at 6am and returned to the camp around noon. Being out for 6 or so hours eliminated the need to move on quickly from each wildlife "sighting" to make sure that we saw as much wildlife as possible. Instead, it provided an opportunity for us to take time to linger and watch the animals "doing their thing". For example, we: followed a family of cheetahs - mother and her "teen" offspring - slowly searching for their next meal for an extended period of time; watched, at a respectful distance, another group of cheetahs track and kill a gazelle; observed a group of lions taking turns eating a wildebeest (some were napping or resting after satisfying themselves) surrounded by jackals and vultures waiting their turn to pick on the bones; watched wildebeests running and cavorting with each other.

We also went on afternoon game drives at 4pm, typically returning between 6 and 7pm.

The game in the area was very plentiful. The short rains had just begun in the past few days and wildebeests and zebras began arriving in large numbers every day that we were there. We saw long lines of wildebeests and zebras that stretched as far as we could see. It was quite a sight. Jeremiah, our guide, indicated that these long lines meant that the wildebeest/zebra migration was just beginning to arrive in the area. Jeremiah estimated that there might have been close to a million and a half wildebeests in the area by the end of our stay.

We also saw many lions, cheetahs, and hyenas.

We also enjoyed the diverse scenery of this part of the Serengeti, especially the vast short-grass savannah that seemed to stretch forever. We could see the mountains that framed the Ngorongoro Crater area far to the north. The area also had a number of rocky outcroppings, lots of acacia trees and shorter bushes, as well as some denser areas of forest.

Our guide was beyond excellent. The camp used an interesting system for game drives. First, they assigned a safari vehicle to each tent so that we had the same vehicle and guide each day. Second, each vehicle had a guide and a spotter. We wondered, at first, whether this was necessary but quickly learned that it was very helpful as the spotter often saw animals in the distance that the driver might have missed and they typically collaborated in deciding where to go.

Our guide, Jeremiah, was very personable and incredibly knowledgeable about the wildlife and fauna. He was very responsive to our interests. He asked us when he picked us up at the airstrip what we hoped to see during our stay and asked the same question before each drive. He then organized the game drive based on our answer.

We greatly enjoyed his company and learned a lot about animal behavior from him. For example, we learned how to estimate the age of a lion and how a male lion learns when a female lion is in heat.

We also appreciated that Jeremiah was very respectful of the wildlife that we observed. For example, when we followed cheetahs and lions to see whether they succeeded in killing an animal, he stayed at a respectful distance to avoid interfering in, or affecting, the outcome of the predators' search for food.

Jeremiah also is an accomplished photographer. He showed us some of his photographs, which were much more interesting than most of mine. He also showed me how to upload photos from my SLR camera to my mobile phone, which I greatly appreciated. Lonyoke, our Maasai spotter, was very attentive to our needs and very helpful to us in many ways.

Two final notes. First, as noted above, the short rains had just begun while we were there. On three of the four days, we heard deep rolling thunder that began shortly after 3pm while we were relaxing in our tent. This was followed by incredibly heavy rain for 30 minutes or so, ending in time for our afternoon game drive. It was fun to listen to the deep thunder and the deluge while we stayed dry in our tent. We also were entertained each evening by incredible patterns of lightning in the distance as we sat around the campfire with our pre-dinner drinks and snacks.

Second, we would like to thank Alex Walker for contacting Expert Africa to recommend that we shift camps so that we would have a more enjoyable experience. While this may not have cost him revenue, as we were just moving from one of his camps to another, it indicates a concern for the quality of his "product" and respect for his guests, which seems refreshing these days. We appreciated this gesture very much.

Based on our experience, we would definitely stay again at another Alex Walker camp. In fact, we have tossed the idea around of trying to stay at one of his mobile camps in the northern Serengeti (the same camps that migrate to the south to follow the wildebeest migration) during the earlier phase of the wildebeest migration."